Extensible connector for bracelets or the like



Feb. 20, 1951 s. RITTER 2,542,358

EXTENSIBLE CONNECTOR FOR BRACELETS 0R THE LIKE v Filed Sept. 21, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l BY ,www 34 11 10 434 55 11 1o 55 ATTORNEY Feb. 20, 1951 s. R11-TER EXTENSQBLE CONNECTOR FOR BRACELETS OR THE LIKE Filed Sept. 2l, 1945 2 Sheets-Shes?, 2

' i 111114 vill/11,114.11

,vgl/IIIA INVENTOR Hf/L E/TTEE SYM/ww WIL ATTORNEY Patented F eb. 20, 1951 EXTENSIBLE. CGNNECTOR .FOR BRACELETS R THE LIKE Saul Ritter, New YorkN. Y., assignor of one-half to Marvin J. Bruner, New York, N. Y.

Application September 21, 1945,` Serial No. 617,816

7 Claims; (Cl. 24-71) This invention relates to bracelet connectors and pertains more` particularly to extensionattachments for wrist watch bracelets or the like. Connectors of the type to which the present in-` ention relates have been made in various forms, one of the more popular constructions including a plurality of oldable members to DIOS/ide a takeup means to hold a flexible bracelet or straprmly against the` wrist to retaina watch in Vplace.

rihe ioldable members are usually hinged together and When open or pcsitionedend to, endprovide the desired extension and'when folded one upon the other the required take-up or contraction is provided.

It has alsobeen found desirable to provide an additional slidable extension so that when the hinged foldable members -are folded or in a contracted position the slidable-member or extension provide for an additional take-up or contraction to avoid anylooseness or play in the strap. On the other hand if the operation of Closing the connector brings the strap too tightly against the wrist itmay be released by extending the slidable-member. The foldable member type of connector is generally formed with a top member ilanges over-lappng a bottom member and it has been a problem to provide the desired long wearing rugged structural means of holding the members in closed position.

Heretofore most foldable member structures were provided with oppositely engageable lugs and detente so arranged as to friotionally hold the members in fixed relation. This type of re taining means, however,y wasA subject to Wear and failedto properly hold'` the members-to the eX- tent required for the practical long life expected.

in a commercial product ofthis type.

In accordance with the presentI invention fold# able members may be readily-andv easily folded in the usual marmer in combinationwvith what may be termed `a latch-assembly which is automatically operated as the members are brought.V

into folded relation.

.'durthermore, the latch-assembly is so oonstrueted that a slight pressure upon thefoldable members causes theV latch to operate and retain the members in fixed relation.. Means are provided to tensionally control the retaining;meansM to eiiect a positive-locking actionyand toquickly and effectively hold the-members in fixed rela,- tion.

In devices oiY this character it isessential that the operation of opening-and-` closing the connector consist of simple and convenient operaV type to which the present invention relates have their free ends connected to portions of a ilexible bracelet which in turn are connected to a wrist Watch. When closing the connector to hold a watch firmly onA theY wrist a bottom foldable,

member remains against the wris t and` atop or cover member locksy With the, bottom member. Meansare so arranged' that anapplied `force or pull requiredv to unlock the members is in the direction thatthe user would normally or naturally follow in attemptingto lift the top member to separate or openl the` connectorV as will appear upon reference to the` drawing and description ofU operation.

In my patent application.Serial4 No... 617,817 filed September 21 1945novv` abandoned, I have shown and describeda structure wherein a latch bar is provided cooperating withmeans on a foldable member whereby themembers may be unlocked by manualrnovement of the latch bar. In the present invention `the locking and unlocking function is attained, by a,V relative movement of the` two foldable members. A modication of the presentinvention isshown `in myv patent application Serial No. 24,791, nledll/lay. 3, 1948.

It is an object of the invention to provide a bracelet with an extensible. connector having a, plurality of membersA folded one, upon the other which whenzfolded are heldinxed relation by a tensionally controlled lockingelement.

AnotherV object of theinvention is to providea bracelet with a. connectorY having, ioldable members held iniixedl relation` by a latch member movable endwise to lock or release the foldable members. Another object of the invention is to provide a connector comprising a plurality of foldable members which may be automatically.Y locked when` brought to foldedrelation and released upon a movement of one foldable` member endwise, relative to4 another foldable member.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more fullyunderstood by reference to the followingdescription. together with the accompanying,drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective View of the present connector with thev members in folded relation;

Fig. 2 is a perspectiveview of the connector showing the foldable members in open position; ErisV a perspective View of thef underside of the top foldable. member;

Fig, 4 Vis aview taken online IVM-IV inligl;

Fig. 5 is a viewsimilar to Fig. Ll but showing the top and bottom members inadjusted relation to permit the members to unfold;

Fig. 6 is a view taken online VI*VI in Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is aview taken on line.VI.-VI I of Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged. planview or the device taken online VIII- VIH inlig. ll.

Fig. 9 is a view similarvtolig. abut showing the parts in diiferent positions relative to Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the connector with parts broken away to show the cooperating latching means on upper and lower foldable members taken on line X-X in Fig. 6;

Fig. il is a fragmentary View showing the latching means ready to lock, and

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. l1 but showing the latching means ready to release the foldable members.'

A device constructed in accordance with the present invention may comprise a foldable member I which may be termed a bottom or receiver element, an intermediate member Il, and a member l2 which latter may be termed a covermember. Slidably disposed in the cover-member I2 is an extension or slide-member I3. The bottom-member IS is hingedly connected at Ill to the member Il which in turn is indirectly hingedly attached at I5 to the cover or top member I2. The member II although connected to the cover i2 is hinged to a spring pressed carrier or spring-bar 28 mounted on and movable relative to the cover I2, the operation and purpose of which will be hereinafter explained. An end iii of the member Il) is connected to one end of a portion Il of a flexible band, the other end of said portion may be connected to one side of a Watch. End I8 of the slide-member I3 is connected to one end of a portion I9 of a flexible band, the other end of which may be connected to the other side of the watch in the usual manner as shown in dotted lines (Fig. 2).

In the present construction the member I3 is slidable in guide slots 2l formed from the side walls of the top member I2. One end of the slidemember I3 is provided with a pawl or spring tongue 22, which when the foldable members are folded. engages with teeth 23 formed in the intermediate member II. Thus the slide member I5 in combination with the teeth provided on member II provides a pavvl and ratchet mechanism to permit adjustment of the slide member I3 which may be held in an adjusted position.

It is obvious that the pawl and ratchet mechanism may be varied in construction to meet variations in any modied form of the present connector.

An important feature of the present invention is in the provision of a simplified latch and locking mechanism. This latch and lock-includes the spring-bar 2e (see Figs. 6 to 9) movable in the cover or housing I2. The spring-bar 2! which serves as a latch bar is slidable against the top wall of the housing and is urged in one direction by a spring 25.

As will Vbe noted this spring-bar 2e is disposed Ybetween the ton Wall of the cover I2 and the slide-member I3. One end of the spring-bar is provided with ears or partial side walls 25 which act as guides during movement along the guide slots 2l of the cover I2. An end 21 of the springbar extends into a housing 26 formed between the top wall of the cover I2 and an extension portion 25. Thus one end 2l of the spring-bar is tensionally engaged by the spring 25 which normally holds the spring-bar in its outer position with its end 3l engaging suitable stops to normally hold the hinge on the spring-bar ilush with an end of the cover-member I2.v The stops to engage the end SI of the spring bar may consist of a peened or inturned end of the ton wall of the cover member I2. The spring-bar 2li thus serves as a movable hinge support.

From the foregoing it will be evident that the spring-bar 2D carries the intermediate member I I to which it is directly hinged and the bottommember I8 which is hingedly connected to the member Il, thus the spring-bar 2i), intermediate member II and bottom member I@ constitute a foldable assembly which as a unit is movable relative to, but carried by the cover I2.

By reason of the present construction, therefore, the cover I2 and the bottom-member I are movable relative to each other and serve as cooperating elements of a latch as will be explained. Thus when the foldable members are in folded relation the pawl 22 engages a tooth 23 on the member II and thereby holds the members II) and Il as a unit, the cover member I2 may-be moved in opposition to the spring 25.

This relative movement between the cover I2 and bottom member Ill is, in accordance with the present invention, utilized to provide a latch mechanism; This mechanism comprises a plurality of inclined lugs or detents 32 formed in side Walls 33 of the bottom-member lil. These lugs are so disposed as to engage with the edges of notches 34 formed in anges 35 of the covermember l2. It will be noted that several notches are provided on each flange of the cover-member to receive a similar number of lugs or detents on the bottom-member. By this arrangement of detents and notches the parts are more rmly held in locked relation and any relative play between the parts is avoided.

When the foldable members are pressed into folded or closed relation the inclined lugs 32 engage the edges of the notches 34 and as the members are pressed tightly together the bottom member Il! is moved in opposition to the spring 25 causing the lugs to slip past the edges of the notches whereupon the spring 25 causes a relative movement between the members Ii) and i2 and the flanges 35 slip under the lugs 32 (see Fig. 10), thereby positively locking the foldable members in xed folded relation. The slidemember I3 may then be adjusted to take up any slack bringing the pawl in contact with one of the teeth 23.

When it is desired to open the connector the cover member is grasped by the thumb and forenger at the knurled portions 35 and force is exerted slightly upward and longitudinally of the members as in the direction of arrow X in Fig. 1 or 5.

The force thus applied causes the cover i2 to move endwise, since the other members are held as a unit by reason of their attachment to the bracelet on the wrist. This movement of the cover-member I2 brings the notches 34 in alignment with the lugs 32 and the edges of the notches 34 ride up the inclined lugs bringing about an automatic separation of the foldablc members with the consequent opening of the connector.

In devices of the present character it is important to provide a simple and eiective corelation of the movable parts as herein provided whereby the user may openY or close the connector in a convenient and natural manner while at the same time providing a device as shown Vherein with a smooth surface free from projecting releasing means.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown and described herein it is to be understood that modications and rearrangement of parts may be made therein Without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:`

1. An extensible connector comprising a covermember, a spring-bar slidable in said covermember, an intermediate member having one end hingedly connected to one end of said spring-bar, a bottom-member .having one end hingedly connected to the other end of said intermediate member, means on said bottommember cooperating with means on said covermember for locking said members together under the action of said spring-bar, an extension member slidable in said cover-member, a pawl on said extension member, teeth on said intermediate member to engage said pawl when said members are in folded relation whereby said spring-bar is moved to release said members when force is applied to move said cover relative to said bottom-member.

2. A connector for a bracelet comprising a cover-member having a longitudinal ange provided with a notch, a spring bar movable endwise relative to said cover-member, a spring element for normally holding one end of said bar at one end of said cover, an extension-member slidable relative to said cover-member, a ratchet pawl on said extension member, an intermediate member having one end hingedly connected to said end of the spring-bar, ratchet teeth on said intermediate member to be engaged by said pawl when the connector is in contracted condition, a bottom member having one end hingedly connected to the other end of said intermediate member, a lug on said bottom member positioned to snap past said notch when the members are moved to contract the connector, said cover-member being movable with said spring-bar to cause relative movement between said cover and bottom members to dispose said lug under said flange to lock the members in xed contracted relation.

3. An extensible connector for a bracelet comprising a plurality of foldable and unfoldable members to close or open said connector, consisting of a primary member, a spring bar slidable endwise in said primary member, a spring member for normally holding said latch-bar in a given position relative to said primary member, a second member hingedly connected at one end to said spring bar, a third member hingedly connected to said second member, means on said primary and third members cooperating to lock the members when in folded relation upon the endwise movement of said spring bar under the action of said spring member, said means operating to release said members upon an endwise movement of said primary member in opposition to said spring member and relative to said second and third members.

4. An extensible connector for a bracelet comprising a plurality of foldable and unfoldable members to close or open said connector, a primary member, a slide bar mounted in said primary member, a spring at one end of said slide bar for urging said bar in a given direction, a second foldable member having one end hingedly connected to the other end of said bar, a third member having one end hingedly connected to the other end of said second member, said primary member having notches, detents on said third member for engaging said notches to lock the members when in folded relation under the action of said spring, an endwise movement of said primary member relative to said second and third members serving to disengage said detents and unlock said folded members.

5. An extensible connector for a bracelet comprising a plurality of foldable and unfoldable members for contracting and expanding said connectors including a cover member having a top and side Walls, said side walls having notches, a slide bar mounted in said cover member between said side walls, a spring for urging said bar in one direction, an intermediate member having one end hingedly connected to said slide bar, a bottom member having one end hingedly connected to the other end of said intermediate member, flanges on said bottom member, detents on said flanges to engage said notches and lock said members when in folded relation, an endwise movement of said cover member relative to said bottom member serving to disengage said detents and notches to unlock said folded :members.

6. An extensible connector for a bracelet comprising a plurality of foldable and unfoldable members for contracting and expanding said connector including a cover member having side Walls provided with notches, a slide bar movable endwise between the Walls of said cover, a spring at one end of said bar for normally retaining said bar in a given position, an intermediate member having one end hingedly connected to the other end of said bar, a bottom member having one end hingedly connected to the other end of said intermediate member, said bottom member having flanges provided with detents to engage said notches to lock the members when in folded relation, said detents being disengageable from said notches to unlock said members upon an endwise movement of said cover member relative to said bottom member.

7. An extensible connectorfor a bracelet comprising a plurality of foldable and unfoldable members for contracting and expanding said connectors including a cover member having a top and side walls, said side Walls having notches, a slide bar mounted in said cover member between said side walls, a spring for urging said bar in one direction, an intermediate member having one end hingedly connected to said slide bar, a bottom member having one end hingedly connected to the other end of said intermediate v member, flanges on said bottom member, detents REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,641,372 Chilson Sept. 6, 1927 1,893.2'71 Carlson Jan. 3, 1933 2,126,263 Kestenman Aug. 9, 1928 2,444,360 Mauch June 29,. 1948 

